At Home Historians

The Yorkshire Museum recently challenged curators around the world to a #curatorbattle to showcase the #creepiestobject in their collections. Museums are sharing these objects on social media for the public to enjoy at home. The Bonner Country Historical Society Museum has quite a few creepy objects in the collection. What are the creepiest objects in your house?

Meet our albino crow (pictured above)

Here is the account: Nesbitt, who is an engineer, was building a bridge near Hot Springs, Montana in the spring of 1940 when he noticed a flock of about 100 crows nearby. The crows were excited and swooping down on a bush. When he investigated, Nesbitt found a full grown true albino crow with pink eyes. Everytime the albino tried to get out of the bush the black crows would swoop down and chase it back. Nesbitt got a .22 caliber rifle and shot the albino. For many years it was mounted and on display in his summer home on Lake Pend Oreille. He also reported seeing another white crow in a museum in Helena, MT but it had some dark feathers and was not a true albino.

When you look at this one, it doesn't seem creepy until you realize what it is... I don't think I would want to keep it sitting on my shelf.

On December 9, 1953, a plane appeared out of an overcast sky and crashed into the edge of the McFarland pole yards. It threw 30-foot poles in the air like matchsticks and shattered windows at the Lincoln School several blocks away. The jet was a Sabre F-86D fighter, attached to the 445th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron of the 4072d Defense Wing, stationed at Geiger Field in Spokane. The pilot of the plane, Lt. Jack Thomas Crawford, was killed instantly. Robert Selle, foreman of the treating plant at that time, found the piece of helmet and gave it to his son, Dale Selle. A piece of a crash helmet from a tragic plane crash... creepy!​

These ducks are super creepy... until you realize

They are fakes! Sideshows used to attract large crows with unique and creepy taxidermy animals. They were expected to be authentic, but when real two-headed calves weren't available taxidermy artists also fabricated hoax creatures called "gaffes". Gaffes ranged from mythical beings such as the chupacabra to a two-headed duck. This gaffe was created by Josh Bladzik.

Now its your turn

Think about your house or your bedroom as a museum. What objects or artifacts are surrounding you? What meanings do they hold? Where did they come from and why do you keep them around? Ever since childhood I have been fascinated by curious, uncommon, and unusual things. I think it is normal for humans to try to make sense the strange by studying it or keeping it close. It's why we watch scary movies and read true crime. For example, as a child I remember desperately wanting a rabbits foot as a good luck charm, and simultaneously being totally disgusted by it. What is the creepiest object lurking around your house right now? One of mine might be a dried out beetle in a jar. I found it last summer, big, dead, and unexpected. I just had to keep it around. Share your creepy objects in the comments of #athomewithBCHS.